Like-Hate Relationship
by Vi Sign
Summary: For as long as Ruri remembers, her feelings for Kanou Shugo has always fleeted between like and hate. It doesn't matter if they're three, eleven, or seventeen; their lives will always be intertwined by the lines between and around liking and hating each other. Mostly from Ruri's POV, along with some interlude. LATEST CHAPTER: Age 14
1. Three

At three, Ruri decides she likes Shuu-chan when he shares all his toys with her.

Shuu-chan has the best toys ever. He has the building bricks, which Ruri likes creating big castles and tall towers and small towns with. He has a collection of toy cars, which they roll across the floor and make noises akin to a car engine. He has a tricycle, which they take turns to ride whenever Shuu-chan's mother brought them to the nearby park. The best of all his toys would be the big yellow ball, where they will spend hours kicking, throwing and bouncing to each other.

All his toys are so much better than the limp dolls and pink bunnies she has at home.

At three, Ruri decides she hates Shuu-chan too.

She hates him for that one time he threw at wooden cube at her leg and gave her a boo-boo. She hates him when he takes all the cool-looking cars and leaves her with all the ugly lorries and vans. She hates him for the times he doesn't get off the tricycle when Oba-san insists it is her turn to ride it. She hates him the most when he doesn't throw the big yellow ball where she tells him to. Papa is a much better catch player than him.

At three, Ruri decides she likes Shuu-chan more than she hates him, because if there's no Shuu-chan, where would she get to play all those wonderful toys that he has?

* * *

A/N: Hey there! I've only muster just a bit of courage to write my first proper multi-chapter fic. Since I don't have a talent at conjuring good plots in a short time, I made sure to write some chapters first before I actually publish something, so here's the first chapter, and hopefully the next soon. Don't mind the short length in this first chapter. Age plays a bit of a factor in this story. Please review, and cheers to you for it!


	2. Four

At four, Ruri thinks she doesn't like Shuu-chan. Otou-san spends too much time with him.

Ruri really likes it when Otou-san teaches her anything to do with baseball. Otou-san says he played the sport growing up, so Ruri wants to follow his example. Besides, baseball games on TV always looks exciting, so cool, and whatever Otou-san teaches is fun!

Today, Otou-san is teaching her how to pitch. He says it is something like playing catch, just a little different. What peeves her is the presence of the boy next to her. Shuu-chan's parents have to go somewhere, that's why Shuu-chan is here in their lawn, learning how to pitch with her.

Ruri pouts. Baseball is something special that Shuu-chan doesn't know anything about, and she doesn't want to let him. Ruri doesn't want to share Otou-san and baseball with Shuu-chan.

Otou-san shows them the way to stand, to grip the ball and to pitch, but he throws the ball lightly instead of the way Ruri sees on TV. He tells them they should not throw that hard; the way they throw is more important, if not they can't be used in the game.

"Besides, those people you see on TV are older and bigger, that's why they throw harder," Otou-san says with a grin.

"If you throw too hard now, your hand can be hurt really badly, and when you grow up, you can't really play baseball," he tells them seriously and sternly later. "I don't want the two of you to throw too hard, too much, or too long, okay?"

With an order like that, Ruri and Shuu-chan can only nod obediently.

It takes a few tries, but Ruri learns them fast, and is proud when Otou-san praises her. Shuu-chan, however, struggles. First, he could not balance properly, and falls too many times. Then, when he got the standing part right, he could not grip the baseball properly. Now, Ruri has to watch as Otou-san corrects his stance over and over again. Something always seems to be wrong.

Ruri puffs up her cheeks, until Otou-san asks her to show Shuu-chan how to do it. Obediently, Ruri scrambles over, and steps on a long rectangular cloth that Otou-san had placed on the grass. She stands on one leg, and sees Shuu-chan imitating her. Ruri then throws the ball towards the net Otou-san had set up, and couldn't help the triumphant smirk when she sees another ball bouncing off the net after hers.

"That's very good, Shuu-chan," Otou-san tells him. "The balance is a bit off, but Ruri did a good job in showing you, didn't she?"

Ruri beams with pride.

Sometime later, Otou-san tells them they have to create their own signs. By now, Ruri and Shuu-chan have learned to aim and to throw a fastball and curveball. It's been fun, fun, and more fun.

Ruri doesn't hate Shuu-chan anymore, since Otou-san praised her for being such a good teacher to Shuu-chan. She looks at Shuu-chan and catches his eye.

"Think of the signs for fastball and curveball, and whether you want the other person to throw higher, or lower, or to the left or right. Show it to me later, okay?"

Otou-san makes them promise, and heads back into the house. He seems to have something to do as well. This leaves Ruri with Shuu-chan for company.

"Wanna take turns?" Shuu-chan suggests timidly.

"Okay!" Ruri agrees enthusiastically. "You first!"

By the time Otou-san comes back, Ruri and Shuu-chan has a tone of signs they have created not only for baseball, but words they can say to each other in class, their own secret language that no one else knows.

Being friends with Shuu-chan is really interesting. Ruri knows she likes him enough to have loads of fun.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been rewriting this and the next chapter again and again because it just doesn't feel right. Both of them are actually meant for age five, and I couldn't choose which one I should publish, since it'd have been a pity to discard either one, so I decided to just add an "age four". I took quite a bit of time to refine them though, but it came out rather good.

Enjoy the chapters. And reviews will be sweet!


	3. Five

At age five, Ruri decides she likes Kanou Shugo.

Pre-school, to Ruri, is a very different environment from Ruri's home. It is big, noisy and full of others of the same age as her. Worst of all, it is full of really nasty kids, whom Ruri has already grouped into their types.

First, there are the crybabies. The first week of pre-school has already gone by, and Ruri can't understand why they are still crying for their mamas when they've already had a week of 'practice'. Ruri didn't even cry when Okaa-san dropped her off and left just as quickly on her first day. She just ran straight to Shuu-chan, smiling and getting ready to tell him about her baby brother. Then there are the snooty princesses. They act almighty and pretend they are grown-ups, and speak in this funny tone with words she does not know the meaning of. It is annoying, and Ruri wishes she could throw mud in their faces. The worst of them all are the boys though.

"You can't play with us!" the leader of the group of boys monopolizing the ball tells her.

Ruri stands against him, stomping towards him.

"Why can't I?" she shouts back.

The terrible boy pushes her and she falls on her bum. It hurts, but she won't cry because it'll mean she has lost. Ruri hates losing.

"Because you're a girl, and girls can't play with balls. They play with dolls," the big bully says proudly.

Ruri glares at him, and is about to retort when her best friend appears in front of her. Shuu-chan grabs her wrist and pulls her up.

"Are you hurt?" he asks.

She shakes her head, her eyes burning with unshed tears, because she really wants to play catch.

"Kanou-kun! You'll get cooties, you know?" the terrible boy taunts.

"No, I won't," Shuu-chan says firmly. "You don't even know what cooties are, so shut up."

Shuu-chan proceeds to ignore the other boys and pulls Ruri to a quieter corner of the play area. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a spongy toy baseball.

"Otou-san gave me this yesterday," he says. "Wanna play?"

Ruri can't help but let a grin take over her face.

"YES!"

At five, Ruri decides she does not hate Shuu-chan one bit. She loves her hero too much!


	4. Ten

When Ruri is ten, she decides she hates Kanou Shugo.

"Ruri, you should be spending more time on your academics," her mother tells her over dinner. "You can't be thinking about baseball all the time…"

Ruri, out of habit, tunes out the rest of her mother's constant nagging. That is, until her mother speaks of the name she is starting to loathe.

"You should be like Shugo-kun. His mother just told me he scored a ninety on his Math test recently."

Ruri speeds up the chewing of the chicken in her mouth, her eyes silently counting the grains of rice in her bowl.

"Kanou-basan says he stays at home during the weekends to study. You always go to the batting centre, even with all those baseball practices you go to!"

Ruri digs an oversized lump of rice and stuffs it into her mouth. She feels the back of her eyes burning up to the point she wishes they could flame up the pretty table cloth draped across their dining table.

"Shugo-kun—"

"I'm done," Ruri interrupts and stand abruptly. She does not need to listen to more of the now-daily lecture.

She carries her rice bowl to the sink and washes it, then heads to her room, slamming the door as hard as she can and locks it so no one can enter. She goes to her desk and slips on her earphone so she can't hear if her mother decides to knock on her door and reprimand her through it.

Maybe it is the competitive streak in her, or the fact that she can't stand her mother comparing her to that boy next door, that makes her reach for her Math homework and attempt the fifty questions on the worksheet. She solves thirty of them and ponders on the rest. It frustrates her to think that Kanou Shugo can probably finish the work within half an hour, while she still has twenty unanswered questions in double the time.

She gives up and packs her stationery and homework into her bag. There is no point if she doesn't understand the questions. It's due on Monday anyway, and she has the long weekend to ponder on them.

* * *

It is a Friday, and Ruri is arguing with her mother. Again.

"You're not to go out again until you're done with your homework!" her mother yells.

"I've finished them!" she retorts.

Her mother strides to her bag and pulls out a file, from which she pulls out the incomplete Math homework she refuses to touch anymore.

"What is this?" her mother says with a glare.

Ruri slams her fisted hand on her desk. She can't help it; her mother has invaded her privacy. Sure, she is just ten, but that doesn't mean her mother could ransack her bag. And it's fine if the homework has more than a few unanswered questions. The teacher would not penalize her if Ruri tells her she does not know how to solve them. Besides, she has done more than half the questions given.

"You looked through my things?!" she screeches, not caring whether her own voice has reached a pitch she does not usually like.

"I'm your mother," her mother shoots back without batting an eyelid, like it is the perfect answer. "It is my job to check if you've done your homework."

"You're just embarrassed that I'm not the perfect child!" Ruri screams without thinking. "In your mind, I'm always out playing and not staying at home to study for the perfect grades that Shugo always has! Why don't you be his mother then?"

She snatches her homework from her mother, and runs out of her home. There is no destination in mind; she just needed to be away from home and her exasperating mother. And she's going to make sure she stays out as late as she could.

* * *

_Why am I hiding under a bush? _Ruri asks herself.

An unwitting shiver runs through her, and that answers her own question: she is cold, very cold. It is in the middle of autumn, and she is just dressed in a thin shirt and a pair of shorts. She thanks her lucky stars that she is wearing her leggings from school as well, but her arms are still exposed to the cold weather.

She stays under the bushes, watching the front gate of the house she lives in, hoping that her mother might get out of the house for some grocery shopping so she could sneak in to get a jacket. It might not happen, since the family's refrigerator always seem to be stocked up with food.

She sighs, then her ears prick at the sound of shouting from the house across the street. Ruri hears the unusually loud voices of Shugo and his mother. Apparently, they are having a fight. She sighs again.

_Seems like today is an "Argue With Mum" Day,_ she thinks to herself.

"I've finished my homework! I've practically memorized the textbooks I have!" she hears Shugo yell. "Why don't you let me go out and play?"

"You should be revising your work! How are you going to get into Mihoshi if you don't get good grades?" Oba-san responds angrily.

"Okaa-san! I'm THIRD in standard!"

"So? You could screw up your entrance exams! Revision is going to make sure you don't!"

"I've been revising EVERY DAY! Why can't I have fun like the other kids? You don't even let me go for club activities! It's embarrassing!"

"That's embarrassing? It is all for your own good, Shugo! Shugo! Where are you going?! Stop right there, young man!"

The front door of the Kanous bursts open, and Shugo comes running out. A moment later, his mother stands at the door, her body stiff with fury.

"FINE! GO OUT AND PLAY THEN! DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK LATER!"

Ruri looks at Oba-san, then at the running form of Shugo down the street. She sees and hears the door slamming, then looks at Shugo again, and runs after him.

"Why are you following me, Mihashi?"

"Why are you calling me Mihashi? That could mean Ren-ren too, you know?"

"I haven't talked to you in a while… so… That's beside the point! Why are you—"

"Following you? I thought you needed some company!"

"I don't need it!"

"Then just pretend I'm not with you then!"

Silence ensues. Only their footsteps can be heard, as Ruri follows him with no idea where the boy is heading to. She observes him and notices him carrying his bat. She has a bad feeling of where he is headed for.

"Where are you going, Kanou-kun?"

"Now why are you calling me Kanou? It could mean my younger brother, you know?" Shugo retorts with a smirk.

Ruri flushes at the slip of her tongue.

"It's the same reason as yours. We haven't talked to each other for a long time," she answers truthfully, with none of the smugness Shugo had thrown at her.

Shugo looks at her for a moment. His face is blank, and Ruri thinks it is rather unnerving.

"The batting centre," he finally says.

"Huh?"

"Where I'm going."

Ruri feels a surge of panic.

"Don't go there! That's the first place Okaa-san will go to look for me!"

Shugo seems shocked, and Ruri realizes why when she finds her own hands gripping his shoulders and staring straight into his wide-open eyes. She lets go quickly, and takes two steps away from him.

"Sorry," she apologizes softly.

Shugo looks at her expectantly, as she looks down and shuffles her feet.

"Truth is, I fought with Okaa-san too. She doesn't want me to go out and play, because I haven't finished my homework! It's not like I haven't done it; I just don't know how to solve those stupid questions!"

She looks up at him.

"I think Okaa-san likes you more. She's always saying how good your grades are, and how you're always staying home to study. But it's not all that great, isn't it?"

Shugo snorts.

"Damn right it's not! I can't go out and play with everyone, and I can't join the baseball club in practices. I think I'm might go crazy!"

"Yeah! Me too!"

Shugo suddenly looks at her pocket, and Ruri follows his gaze. A folded and crumpled piece of paper is sticking out, nearly dropping out of the pocket. She's forgotten about it until now.

"What's that?" he asks curiously.

"My Math homework! The one Okaa-san wants me to finish it before I go to the batting centre! And I couldn't call Kisuke-kun or Yamamaru-kun that I can't go because of Okaa-san."

Ruri watches the boy as he stands unmoving. She knows he is thinking, and could almost see the gears turning in that smart brain of his.

"Ruri, let's have a preposition," he says, after a long moment.

"A what?"

"A preposition."

Ruri looks back at him with confusion.

"Thanks, it's very helpful. Not every kid knows big words like you do."

Shugo sighs.

"A suggestion. An offer."

"Much better. So what are you offering?"

Shugo grins rather jubilantly.

"I'll help you with your homework if you play catch with me."

Ruri feels the same grin creeping into her face. She sticks out her hand and Shugo takes it.

"Deal!"

Maybe, just maybe, Shugo isn't that bad a boy. Maybe, just maybe, Ruri might like him more than she hates him.

* * *

A/N: I've skipped a few years down . And I'm finally nearing the ages I've completed! This chapter's a little rough, but I hope you've enjoyed it enough. I'll probably rewrite it so it'll be more bearable, so fret not! Cheers!


	5. Eleven

When Ruri is eleven, she is forced to sit out on most of her elementary school's baseball games. Coach doesn't say anything, but she knows there are many reasons. She has become rather well-known for hitting really well, despite being a girl, and most of the opponents usually choose to walk her. She hasn't had a hit since the year before, and she feels downright humiliated when she is taken off the batting order.

Ruri thinks furiously that she is also taken out of the roster because she is a girl. Girls do not play baseball at the middle school level, and the coach might have taken her out because of it.

Shugo, in turn, is making a name for himself. He's great as a pitcher, or so everyone says. His control isn't that awesome, but Ruri's standard of judgment is high, and truth to be told, he is good for the elementary school level. Ruri knows, too, that his skills come with a lot of hard work. There are many times when Ruri's father himself has to give Shugo a lecture and tell him the dangers of pitching too much.

"Nice batting, Tsubaraki-kun!" her team-mates shout.

Ruri sits glumly on the bench, watching the last practice match of the year go into the bottom of the third inning, her school on offense. They are trailing their opponents by a point now, and the team is desperate to win their last game.

Shugo is next to her, his face stoic, like it always is when the game doesn't interest him. Ruri thinks he might be doing that deliberately so she might not feel worse than she already does.

"Kantoku!" Ginmoto, one of the relief pitchers, comes running into the dugout. "Watanabe-kun is sick all over the toilet bowl in the bathroom!"

"How is he now?" their coach asks, and he makes eye contact with the teacher in charge, Takahashi-sensei.

"Hada-kun is with him now," Ginmoto says. "But he's thrown up twice already."

"I'll go tend to him, Ginmoto-kun," Takahashi-sensei tells him. "You should stay here. You're next in the batting order."

There is a tense silence in the dugout, as everyone calculates the remaining at-bats to Watanabe's turn. With Kisuke, who is the fifth batter in the line-up, out, and the inning's ending, Ruri knows that Watanabe's position is fifth-in-line in the next inning.

Kantoku looks at the relief members in the dugout, all looking nervous and fidgety. None of them are decent hitters, and they know it. Ruri herself fidgets, but from a very different reason from them.

Next to her, Shugo raises his hand for Kantoku's attention.

"Kantoku?"

Ruri feels an overwhelming sense of excitement as she watches Shugo's raised palm form a pointed thumb aimed at her.

A slow smile lightens Kantoku's stern face. Without a word, he leaves to tell the official of the change.

The members cheer, everyone knowing how Ruri feels about the year with no hits. Before long, the coach is back and he assembles everyone quickly for instructions.

"Okay, boys and girl," he starts. "We all know Ruri's reputation here, and how the other schools deal with her. I want you to prevent them from walking her. Do you know how to do that?"

"We load the bases," Shugo answers.

"Yes, we load the bases," Kantoku says with a cunning smile. "We must have Ruri hit her best for this last match, all right?"

"YEAH!"

"You know, this expectation on me is rather unnerving," Ruri says to Shugo, as he gets ready for his at-bat.

"Appreciate it," Shugo tells her curtly. "This might be your only chance."

"I will appreciate it," she says sincerely. "Thank you, Shuu-chan."

"Don't call me that! I'm eleven already!"

"So? I'm older than you!"

"That doesn't mean—"

Kantoku taps on Shugo's shoulder, as they hear the umpire shout an out. Kisuke-kun has been tagged out.

"Kanou," he says sternly, pointing to the deck circle he is supposed to go to.

Without turning back, Shugo heads out. As he walks out, Ruri sees a hand behind his back, a pinky stuck out from a fist. She smiles widely as she gets the message.

Yamamaru has, by then, hit a grounder between the first and second baseman and got on first base. As Ruri makes her way to the deck circle, she catches the eye of the pitcher, and smiles smugly at him, hoping it would make him nervous.

It does. The first pitch against Kanou went wild, and everyone managed to advance a base before the catcher even manages to get the ball into his hands again. The pressure on the other team is perfect.

Ruri makes her way to the batter's box. Her team-mates have done everything in their power to load the bases for her. She must not disappoint them.

"Mihashi! Gambatte!"

She _absolutely_ must not disappoint them.

Ruri faces the pitcher, Miyagawa. She's heard Shugo say he isn't very good at control, and she can guess as much, from the few games she has watched him pitch. His pitches, however, are rather fast, and Ruri wonders how many and much of his arm muscles and joints are ruined to achieve that.

_Ruri, think. How are you going to make him pitch a middle to you?_

Ruri sets up her stance, and gets ready for the first pitch. She swings as the pitch goes to the outside corner of the strikezone.

"_Strike!_"

She bites her lips, and scrunches her eyebrows together to form a frown.

"Ruri! Don't be nervous! Use your eyes properly!"

_Damn that Kisuke! Who says I'm nervous?_

The next two pitches are balls, and from the way Miyagawa stretches his fingers, Ruri knows they are uncontrolled pitches. Good thing he has a catcher who reacts fast.

When the next pitch turns out to be yet another ball, the catcher calls for a time-out. She catches sight of Shugo watching her with interest. She winks at him, fighting the smile that is threatening to turn her lips.

As the catcher returns to his position, and the pitcher prepares to wind up, the triumphant smile escapes as the pitch rushes towards her.

_The best pitch to control for a power pitcher like MIyagawa… a fastball right in the middle._

The resounding metallic sound her bat produces and the strain in her arms resulting from the hit feels good, as she sees the ball sail overhead into the woods over the fence. She throws her bat aside and jogs around the diamond, arriving home to the ecstatic team-mates.

"Nice acting," Shugo says with a smirk as he receives her high five.

"Thank you," she returns the smirk to the only person who sees through her.


	6. Interlude Eleven: Kanou Shugo

The day Ruri is taken out of the regular batting order, Shugo finds her outside the girls' locker room, leaning against the wall of a corner with her knees folded close her chest, and the balls of her hands pressing against her eyes. The latter action could not serve its purpose, as Shugo could see clear streams of tears flowing down her forearms. He hears the unmistakable sniffs and retreats behind the wall that hides him from her.

For as long as Shugo knows Ruri, he has never seen her cry. For all he knows, Ruri only cries in the privacy of her room, and she is more likely to compensate the crying with a burst of tantrum if she isn't alone. Likewise, he knows, too, when to excuse himself and leave immediately when he sees the tell-tale reddening face and glistering eyes; he never knows how to deal with a crying girl, let alone Ruri.

The change in the batting order didn't really come as a surprise. Even Ruri was probably expecting it herself. There were too many games where she was regarded as a threat and walked to first base. Even then, she can't perform the steals she is skilled at, because of the other team's attention on her. Mother Nature is against her too. The other boys are getting taller, bigger and stronger than her, and even though her hitting power is superior, it is useless when she is always targeted to walk.

Shugo sighs inwardly. He has never felt this helpless before, and words of comfort are never his forte. With his luck, he would be more likely to wind up with an agitated Ruri instead. From the corner of his eye, he spots his concerned team mates, who, seeing his odd position, are hesitant to inch forward to where he is. He slips away quietly, and leads them away from his best friend.

* * *

An hour later, Ruri finally walks through the school gates. When she sees Shugo sitting by the guard, her red, blotchy eyes widen, looking genuinely shocked at the presence of Shugo.

Shugo scowls at her, hunger fuelling his impatience and short temper.

"Is it really that surprising that I've been waiting for you for an hour? We're supposed to have dinner together at your house tonight."

Ruri's eyes instantly narrow, and Shugo could tell she is annoyed. She takes in a breath, and Shugo braces himself for her outburst.

"You could have gone home first! Baka Shuu-chan!"

Shugo does not refute the retort. It is true; he could have gone home first, but he didn't feel good leaving Ruri alone. Not that he'll ever admit it.

They bade farewell to the guard, and head home. Ruri walks ahead of him, pumping both arms into the air, like she's jubilant instead of disappointed.

"One day," she says confidently. "I'm going to have the hit of my life!"

Without thinking, he responds, "I'll help you."

When Ruri turns back suddenly, Shugo blushes at the sight of her sparkling eyes boring into his.

"I-I mean, we'll help you," he stammers, and berates himself mentally. "The team will help you, because, you know, you're Ruri."

A grin slowly graces Ruri's lips, before she turns and skips ahead.

"Come on, Shuu-chan! I'm hungry!"

Before long, a smile tugs at the side of Shugo's lips, as he runs after Ruri.


	7. Twelve

When Ruri is twelve, Ren-ren moves in with her family to attend Mihoshi. Ruri is elated. There is someone to play catch with her, and Ruri knows Ren-ren is a really talented pitcher, despite his peculiar style of pitching.

Ruri has been looking forward to spending time with her cousin, so when she hears Ren-ren jabber on about "Shuu-chan", her eyes narrow, and her mood darkens. Ren-ren, as if sensing her simmering displeasure, starts to fidget more than usual and looks as though he wants to run away from her. Ruri shakes away the irrational thoughts and reasons with her mind. Ren-ren loves pitching and the love for baseball runs in the family. It is obvious he would join the baseball club, where Kanou Shugo, whom he had always played with whenever he comes over to Gunma, would definitely be.

She knows she shouldn't be thinking ill of Kanou, since he has done nothing to offend her, and has been nothing worse than a good friend. They've stopped hanging out, however, after stepping down from the elementary school baseball club. At the back of her mind, she just can't sit well with the reality that he is the one in a baseball club instead of her, and might have a shot to go to Koushien while she will never be able to. It isn't fair that she loves the sport more than him, but will never have a chance to take part at the middle or high school level.

A fortnight later, the boys are inseparable. Or rather, it is Ren-ren who becomes too attached to Kanou. Her cousin idolizes Kanou in the same way, maybe more than the way her brother does. Ruri is all too aware of the jealousy that is welling up within her. Kanou has taken away her dream, her aspirations, and the affections and adorations of both her cousin and younger brother, all because he is a great pitcher and a good player. And Ruri can't help but think bitterly that he could be all of those because he is born a boy.

She takes pride in the fact that Kanou has never hit a homerun though; not within a game, at the batting centre, or even during practices. Ruri is the one who has the talent for homeruns, and the softball club will benefit from that, but it's not the same as baseball. Softball will never be the same as baseball at any level.

To clear her mind, Ruri goes to the batting centre with her bat, imagines each rushing ball with Kanou's face on it and hits homerun after homerun. The owner of the batting centre should be grateful that she never bothers to collect any rewards from those homeruns, and he knows to be grateful by giving her extra credits.

As she swings her bat continuously, she thinks she hates Kanou Shugo.

* * *

A/N: I know Ruri's starting to act like a brat now. I figured this is the time when the puberty hormones start kicking in, and the line between rationality and irrationality blurs, and usually, more than half the time, there is hatred for everything and everyone, and quite a bit of self-centeredness. Hopefully, there's no more bratty Ruri after this chapter.

Cheers! Reviews would be nice!


	8. Thirteen

By the time Ruri turns thirteen, she has become a little tolerant of her neighbor of the same age. She will never admit it though.

It has been some time after Ren-ren moves to Gunma. He's now best friends with Kanou and fellow pitchers at the Mihoshi team, where Ren-ren is the starting pitcher. Kanou begins to hang around her home more often, to tutor Mihashi, play video games, or talk about baseball. Watching them interact, Ruri could almost like Kanou again for acting so normally with Ren-ren's stutters and sometimes-annoying quirks. It is not difficult to see that majority of her school mates think her cousin is weird.

There is another reason why Ruri could tolerate Kanou though. Her mother has toned down her naggings and hardly ever compares her grades with Kanou's anymore, though Ruri thinks it is due to the presence of Ren-ren, who has appalling grades, rather than the spectacular improvement she has made since moving up to middle school. One less annoyance to deal with. but it doesn't matter; Ruri never makes any effort to talk to Kanou anymore. She's a girl, he's a boy, and they're in middle school; it is different now.

It is that one day in summer that something starts. Ruri lies sprawled, wearing a thin tank top and shorts with her hair in a messy bun, across a cooling mat, relishing in the icy feeling during the hot summer wave, when she hears excited pounding of feet down the hallway outside her room. She hears her door slide and opens her eyes to find them locked with Kanou, who is grinning excitedly down at her.

"Hey Ruri! Wanna head down to the batting center?" he says.

Ren-ren soon appears next to him, the same excited grin donning his face.

"Obaa-san is t-t-taking us there," her cousin exclaims, his hands waving excitedly like a bird flapping its wings. A hand accidentally slaps Kanou's face, and the resounding sound silences Ren-ren, who suddenly cowers with fear and mutters several stuttered apologies under his breath. However, the grin is still on Kanou's face, as though it has been frozen by time.

Ruri cannot help herself. She laughs, and laughs, and laughs. The sight is so funny. Ren-ren's antics, Kanou's smile though the slap, and the red mark that is starting to glow red, the scene is all too funny, despite her conscience warning her about laughing at another's pain. She stops, but a glance at Kanou again sends her into peals of giggles again. She only stops, with much restraint, when her abdomen develops an ache and tears blur her vision so much she is forced to wipe them away.

This is when she sees her neighbour-cum-childhood-friend in front of her, reaching out a hand, with a scowl now attached to his face. He's not hurting though, as she sees the sparkle or gentleness in his eyes, she does not know which, but at least neither indicates disgruntlement.

Ruri is suddenly aware that she hasn't looked him in the eye for years, and his eyes are oh-so-yellow. Her heart decides to pump a little harder, and she feels her cheeks flush with heat, her lower abdomen scattered with fluttering butterflies and a sense of nervousness she has never felt before. Suddenly, she is grateful for her natural red cheeks and the laughing fit that darkens it.

She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath, attempting to calm down from the weird sensation, hoping the boys think it is the attempt to compose herself from her laughing fit instead. When she thinks she is done, she smiles apologetically.

"Sorry."

It is a short apology. Kanou is a boy; he does not need any unnecessary words.

"It's okay," he replies, his hand still out to receive hers. She takes it, and lifts herself up. After flashing him a grateful look, she turns to her cousin.

"I'll go change out and take my bat," she tells him.

She stares down at the both of them, taking in their old crumpled t-shirts and shorts, and frowns.

"Both of you too," she adds.

They blush and scatter away in different directions; one to his room down the hallway, and the other, home across the street.

She slides her door close, and leans backward against it, sliding down to the floor as she feels her legs weaken. She clutches the hand that is burning with Kanou Shugo's touch, and blushes harder at the memory of her interaction with the boy. Blood continues rolling through the veins under her cheeks and her heart is beating at a crazy pace.

Ruri isn't stupid. She knows what this is.

Ruri has probably-maybe-and-very-likely fallen in 'like'—not love!— with Kanou Shugo.


	9. Fourteen

When Ruri is fourteen, she starts to notice Ren-ren has grown much quieter. Actually, it's been like that for a long while now (she wouldn't be surprise if a year has passed), just that it's a little too much now. She worries. Ruri and Ren-ren are in different classes (she's in the first class, he's in the last) and clubs (softball and baseball), and because of that, Ruri does not know how Ren-ren is like around others.

She also notices her cousin spending more and more time in the backyard practicing his pitches late into the evenings. Sometimes, she sits a distance away to watch, but most of the time, she spends it doing her own things, thinking he needs a little more privacy in their big family. It is only when he pitches too late into the night, that either Ruri or her father stops him.

It is later that it daunts on her that Kanou has not come over for a while now, or walked home together with Ren-ren even though they are both in the baseball club. He does, however, still gives a friendly wave and smile to anyone in her extended family, including her, though Ren seems to shrink further into his shell when he does so.

Ruri tells herself she is not disappointed with the lesser appearances of Kanou-kun in her life. She tells herself that Ren-ren is just passing through a phase, like how Okaa-san says it is, and there is nothing wrong with him. Ren-ren has always been quiet and never likes to trouble anyone. It is unnerving though, that little feeling in her gut.

She ignores it, and pushes thoughts of Kanou away from her head. She needs to concentrate on softball.

* * *

A/N: Sorry. I know this is too short; in fact, this is the shortest chapter in the entire story. I promise the next few chapters won't be this short though. On another note, being a teenager is hard, isn't it? I know I've made Ruri too selfish here.


	10. Fifteen, one

When Ruri is fifteen, on her first day to high school, she stomps her way to the campus.

Ren-ren had transferred to Nishiura in _SAITAMA_, and has thus moved back to his hometown during the break, all without saying a word to her or Ryuu. All that bullshit about being awkward because Ruri is a same-age cousin is all _bullshit_! Ruri is hurt and angry and full of despise for her gender and Ren-ren's stupidity and unintentional insult. It's not like she wants to be a girl either. If she were a boy, she could have easily joined the baseball team. It makes Ruri angry that even her cousin might be belittling her sex.

Ruri takes a deep breath, and let it all out in a sigh. She feels guilty, remembering how fearful Ren-ren had looked as he attempted to stutter the reasons he was moving after Ruri demanded for it. Ruri had lost her patience and stomped to her room, slamming her door for emphasis. After that, he had gone with Naoe-basan back to Saitama.

_It's no use being upset now_, she tells herself. Ren-ren isn't here anymore. The most she could do is send a text of apology to Ren-ren later. She carefully conjures a message in her head, and she runs to meet up with Kisuke and Yamamaru.

That afternoon, after the whole festivities dedicated to the first years, Ruri walks home alone, since Kisuke and Yamamaru want to check out the field. Ruri has already decided to continue with softball, so there isn't much for her to see anyway.

Outside the school gates is a mess of students, since it is dismissal time. Ruri finds herself situated behind a particular group of first year boys, whom she recognizes as Ren-ren's former team mates. She picks up Kanou's small stature among them.

"Did you hear?" a boy with black hair that resembles a nest says excitedly. "Mihashi didn't enter the high school division!"

What he says ignites her interest, and she deliberately keeps her steps in beat with the group of boys. All eyes have now turned to Kanou, who continues walking ahead, his earphones on, rock music blasting and obviously oblivious to what his friends were talking about.

"Kanou!" the biggest boy of the group said loudly, pulling off one of Kanou's earphones so he could hear. "Is it true?"

Kanou stops and turns, his eyes narrowing with annoyance from someone disrupting his music.

"True what, Hatake?"

"Mihashi didn't enter the high school division," Hatake repeats. "Is it true?"

Kanou hesitates and faces straight again. Ruri could only see the back of his head now, and so couldn't read his expression at all. She watches as the others look like they are anticipating his answer.

"Yeah," he finally answers.

They cheer, except Kanou. Ruri can't help but feel the familiar burning sensation welling up at the back of her head, this time more furious than ever.

"Finally!" Hatake shouts. "We won't have that despicable freak pitch another game for us anymore!"

"Yeah!" another boy joins in. "How many games have we lost because of him?"

"What were we supposed to do when he is the principal's grandchild?"

Hatake put his arm around Kanou's shoulder, like they are best friends, and says, "Without Mihashi holding the mound, Kanou can finally be Mihoshi's ace!"

Thoughts whir through her brain, as she puts two and two together. Ren-ren was bullied. Kanou didn't defend Ren-ren. Kanou wants the position of ace that Ren-ren has. Ren-ren was bullied because the baseball club wanted Kanou to be the ace. All those thoughts lead to one conclusion: Kanou is the reason why Ren-ren left.

The boys continue throwing insults at her absent cousin, and Ruri could not bear to listen to any of their appalling words anymore. She quickens her pace, and walks past them, and stops in front of Kanou, who looks somewhere between flabbergast, horrified, and guilty.

She smiles sweetly at Kanou, as the other boys whisper in the background. She hears one of them speculating whether she is an admirer of Kanou. So none of them know how she is related to Ren-ren or Kanou. How self-absorbed and ignorant of them to not know who she is. She's been in the same middle school and was the captain of softball there too!

"Since when?" Ruri asks, her voice as sickly sweet as she can go. Only Kanou knows exactly what kind of wrath she is unleashing onto him.

"B-b-before the f-finals."

It's not often that Kanou stutters, and Ruri watches with a little satisfaction as the other boys display various degrees of astonishment.

"Oh, okay," she says.

She blinks and cuts her act, directing a cold glare at her former friend.

"I'll _never_ forgive you."

She turns and walks away, very sure she would never forget seeing the guilt in Kanou's shocked eyes. Or the way her heart squeezes painfully in her chest as she walks briskly away from him and his stupid friends.

She decides she hates Kanou more, more, _more_ than ever.


End file.
